MacGyver: Never an Easy WayTitle May Change
by Dragea
Summary: MacGyver's task this time is to explore into a possible murder, with the help of two other Phoenix Foundation Field Operatives. What he discovers from it may change his life and his beliefs. What's worse? He may come in contact with an old enemy!
1. Profiles: Phoenix Foundation

Phoenix Foundation Member Profiles:

**Name:** Dragea Adara Draconis  
**Nickname/Public Name:** Daria Anna Dawson. Also goes by Dragon, Dawn or Aria.  
**Gender:** Female  
**Age:** 18  
**Height:** 5'10"  
**Weight:** 137 lbs  
**Element:** Primarily, water.  
**Likes:** Being around Mac, Pete, and Dalton; being included in and informed about things, writing, laughing, enjoying life and her unique skills, music.  
**Dislikes:** Being held against her will, being told to stay behind or to not do something, others getting hurt because of her, feeling helpless, death.  
**Dates: **guys, but she's Genophobic.  
**Average skills and special abilities (if any):** Daria, being as unique as she is, can do many things beyond the norm. Partly because of her blindness and partly for other reasons, she has hypersensitive hearing. She also has a sixth sense of ESP, which means she can read minds, send thoughts to another, or feel another person's feelings. Last of her unusual abilities is that she can change one thing into a completely different thing.

However, her normal skills are that she's very good with her feet, and also good at coming up with a quick excuse. For example, jumping, running, kickboxing, hanging upside down, etc. She's also pretty musical in her spare time, sometimes carrying a guitar on her. She also likes to write, but has to use computer paper, and a certain method for the blind.  
**Weaknesses:** Well, for one, her arms are a major weakness, though Daria's unusually strong for a girl her age. She can usually easily be physically overpowered, if caught. Her hearing can be seen as a weakness. They also can only help her so much, so often, and reading minds can give her a headache.

She also has certain weak points, like stroking the side of her neck (relaxes her and distorts her common sense and such), pressing the joint between her shoulder and neck (knocks her out), and lastly pressing the indent in the back of her neck (numbs her entire body for a short period of time.)  
**Occupation:** Daria works at Phoenix foundation as a DXS Field Operative, with Mac; as the youngest in the business.  
**Love interest:** Mac, but as like an older brother figure. Also likes Marcus a bit.  
**Theme Song:** "If Today was Your Last Day," by Nickelback.  
"E for Extinction," by Thousand Foot Krutch.  
**Personality:** Daria is absolutely not very smart in most ways. Sure, she's a philosophical person, at most times, but she can't tell you the answer to any question at any given moment. She has an optimistic nature, and her main policy is "Just because it seems impossible, that doesn't mean it is." and she hopes to always live by that.

Daria is also the type that is almost completely unprejudiced. She could care less about your background or morals, she'd be willing to give you every chance in the world, unless she knows there's absolutely no way she can give in. She loves life and everything in it. She can be a little headstrong, though, and has a fear of perversion and anything of a certain four-letter (If you even understand that...) topic.  
**Bio:** Will edit in as revealed in the story, to avoid spoiling secrets. Has known Mac a good portion of her life and trusts him completely.  
**Other:** Daria is blind, though no one really knows it, she can _sometimes_ see through someone else, though usually by touch. She can use her hearing to tell where someone is or hear a weapon's velocity. When she's positive she's safe, she likes to listen to her MP3 player or stereo, which tends to get her in trouble. She also has special permission to carry a sword. Lastly, her eyes change color. She covers this by wearing sunglasses most of the time and saying she wears cosmetic contact lenses.

* * *

**Name:** Reozix Zorad Cadrake  
**Nickname/Public Name: **Rickie Alden Cameron  
**Gender:** Male  
**Age: **24  
**Height: **6'3"  
**Weight: **174 lbs  
**Element:** Fire  
**Likes: **Sports, acting like a big brother, cats, fire, watching things burn (though not harmfully), guns, loud noises. He's also fond of spicy things.  
**Dislikes: **Waiting, work, dogs (except wolves), water, swimming, having to make extremely difficult decisions, seeing Dragea scared or hurt, people who try to hurt those that are weaker or younger than them, Rose.  
**Dates:** Girls  
**Average skills and special abilities (if any): **Tends to set thing on fire, by accident, when he's angry. He has a gift of fire manipulation/creation. Also, to compensate this fact, he can heal himself or others, instantaneously.

He also is capable of shooting from various ranges or angles, and shooting a gun with amazing precision and accuracy. He is a gun expert, knowing every gun's caliber and such, on sight alone.  
**Weaknesses: **His fire abilities often cause him to burn himself in the process of using his power. Also, to heal others, he must cry like a phoenix. If they die beforehand, crying will mean little.  
**  
**Though excellent with guns, he is a terrible swordsman, archer, or "improviser." Guns and fists are his only means of self-defense. Rickie is reckless and impulsive, which usually means he gets him and his co-workers or companions in trouble. Lastly, he's impatient, and kind of slow to understand what is currently important.**  
****Occupation:** DXS Field Operative  
**Crush:** Daria Dawson. Has a bit of a liking for Shiki.  
**Theme Song: **"Step to Me," by Thousand Foot Krutch  
**Personality: **As stated in his weaknesses, Rickie is a reckless, impulsive, impatient, and somewhat slower than most. He tends to do what he thinks should be done, without thinking things through, immediately. He's highly protective, especially over Daria. He's a bit of a realist, not really understanding Daria's optimism. He tries to be trusting of others, but since childhood, has been unable to trust anyone other than himself.

Also, unlike Daria, he isn't extremely fond of life. He believes that more often than not, life will try to bite you in the butt as much as possible, and Death's only concerns are to take down those closest to you and leave you to suffer. So fuck it, do anything you want to, and never let Death win.  
**Bio: **Will edit in as revealed in the story, to avoid spoiling secrets.**  
****Other: **Rickie has been a member of the National Rifle Association since the age of 16, and has since been collecting guns.

* * *

**Name: **Tiresis Myrr Sandracon  
**Nickname/Public Name: **Teiresias Myers Swanson  
**Gender: **Male  
**Age:** 27  
**Height: **6'7"  
**Weight: **193 lbs  
**Element:** Air/electricity  
**Likes: **proving idiots wrong, having a conversation with someone who's actually intelligent, coming up with things that help his colleagues, black, purple, skulls, tight clothes, spending time with his sister.  
**Dislikes: **idiots, being proven wrong, though it doesn't happen often, spending time around morons, being in an inventor's block, pink, lavender, white, light blue, baggy clothes, girly things, being taunted, having to be apart from Candice.  
**Dates:** Neither. Isn't interesting in dating.  
**Average skills and special abilities(if any): **Teiresias and his sister's powers involve technology. His powers involve being able to quickly and easily take his sister's blueprints and turn it into the real thing. He's also able to make it work however he wants it to. His elemental ability allows him to move faster than normal, depending on how fast he wants to go.

Teiresias' main ability is in skateboarding. He is capable of successfully pulling off even the most difficult trick, given time. He has a high IQ score, equivalent to a genius', and has been winning awards for it in school since he was 9.  
**Weaknesses: **Teiresias doesn't have many skills, and thus has several weak spots. He's never physical, meaning he must rely on his own speed and intelligence to avoid getting beaten to a pulp. Also, his power often drains him, in order to make things work how he wants.  
**Occupation:** Scientist  
**Crush:** N/A. However, he does care for Reozix, like a younger brother.  
**Theme Song: **"Superman's Dead," by Our Lady Peace  
**Personality: **Teiresias is a sort of unemotional man. He is also quite stubborn, almost impossible to sway if he decides something. He is far from being blind, and in fact seems to notice things very quickly. He is also highly intelligent. Having been isolated and teased in his school life, Teiresias has grown very quiet.  
**Bio: **Will edit in as revealed in the story, to avoid spoiling secrets.**  
****Other: **N/A

* * *

**Name: **Cauldrace Ellosin Sandracon  
**Nickname/Public Name: **Candice Ellison Swanson  
**Gender: **Female  
**Age:** 27  
**Height: **5'3"  
**Weight: **121 lbs  
**Element:** Nature  
**Likes: **dating, cute things, small dogs, birds, kittens, butterflies, sparkling things, flirting, ribbons, frilly clothes, Dragea, MacGyver, her brother, drawing designs, flavored water, yoga.  
**Dislikes: **working, dirt, being unclean or sticky, anything with more than four legs(minus butterflies), plain clothes, Reozix, being denied a date, drawing still life in art school, soda, being sweaty.  
**Dates:** Both guys and girls.  
**Average skills and special abilities(if any): **Cauldrace, like her brother, have technological powers. She is able to draw up blueprints in a matter of hours and is able to figure to what materials will be needed in order to best create the object. Her last ability pertains to her element, like the others, she can grow plants at a fast or rapid rate and is able to manipulate or mutate it.

Her best average skills are the fact that her voice is amazing. Also, she can usually get a date from anyone she wants to, minus Dragea and Mac. Lastly, she creates fashion designs in her spare time and has taken up Yoga since she was 16.  
**Weaknesses: **Candice also doesn't have very many skills. Except, hers are all mostly social skills. Therefore, she has many weaknesses. Were she ever in a fight to the death, she would probably get killed. For her elemental ability, it takes an insane amount of concentration.  
**Occupation:** Scientist  
**Crush:** Thinks Dragea and her innocence is cute. Also thinks MacGyver is incredibly handsome.  
**Theme Song: **"Break the Silence," by Thousand Foot Krutch((Yes, I like this group.))**  
****Personality: **Candice is a very girly, non-tomboyish person. She hates being sweaty or dirty, even if it means she has to shower three times a day. She is a flirtatious girl, who loves to wear frilly clothing. She's kind of hyper, and will almost never refuse to house a stray kitten or puppy. Candice is also quite vengeful, hating to be refused or let the people she wants get hurt. If she finds out that they have been by you, expect to be accident prone for a few weeks. She's also quite nice, though a bit quick-tempered. Lastly, unlike her brother, she is quite the extrovert.**  
****Bio: **Will edit in as revealed in the story, to avoid spoiling secrets.**  
****Other: **N/A


	2. Profiles: ReptiSkyn

Reptiskyn Employee Profiles:

**Name:** Zeke Fane  
**Nickname:** Z  
**Gender:** Male  
**Age:** 32  
**Height:** 6'1"  
**Weight:** 182 lbs.  
**Likes:** money, reptile skins, seeing people who like his products, black, plain things, rice, water, ramen.  
**Dislikes:** People who try to inform the police on his work, animal scratches, animals, people, people that won't leave him alone, Rose, juice, soda.  
**Dates:** Neither. Not much of a relations man.  
**Average skills and special abilities(if any):** Not really any skills, except that he's manipulative mentally. He's also able to talk his way out of trouble.  
**Weaknesses:** He's a little paranoid of most people, and he's become deathly afraid of live reptiles over the years of production, for some reason((*shifty eyes*)).  
**Occupation:** Company Prez  
**Crush:** Married to Emma Rose Connolly.  
**Theme Song:** "Blood on my Hands," By The Used  
"Here and Now," by Sevendust  
**Personality:** Well, he's been told before that he has a black heart, and he does. It's blackened from greed and his partial hatred of people. He's unnaturally calm most of the time, and it's unwise to get him really angry. Any time he has his eyes closed and has his hands clenched together while pressed against his mouth, it usually means he's thinking of possible positive and negative consequences to a deal. He's a very strategic man and tries to think things to the end. Not to mention, he's very manipulative and can get inside certain people's minds.  
**Bio:** Will edit in as revealed in the story, to avoid spoiling secrets.  
**Other:** He still has unused skin, for personal and sentimental reasons.

* * *

**Name: **Emma Rose Fane (née Connolly)  
**Nickname: **Goes by Middle name, Rose.  
**Gender: **Female  
**Age: **30  
**Height: **5'12"  
**Weight: **147 lbs  
**Likes: **The mentally unstable, Zeke, pink, red, skirts, camouflage, military men, horses, real jewelry, the quiet, men, leather, BBQ, business deals, making idiots out of men, older men, knives.  
**Dislikes: **Zeke's paranoia, Zeke's being a misanthropist, pants, yellow, fake jewelry, insects, spiders, loud noises, reptiles, plain foods, overly greasy foods, refused propositions, smart and wary businessmen, overly masculine men.**  
Dates: **Guys  
**Average skills and special abilities(if any): **Rose's skills lie in making deals. She can make a deal that can seem irrisistable, that ends up completely one-sided. She's a good budget shopper, and awesome at finding the best prices. She's also good at making people think she's more innocent than she is, and excellent with getting her way.  
**Weaknesses: **She's only human. Even she has a bad deal go even more wrong. She can sometimes go overboard on the deals, too, as she's an ex-compulsive shopper (though she's getting better with that). Also, sometimes a handsome face distracts her, making her forget her thoughts or what she was doing.  
**Occupation:** Company VP  
**Crush: **Married to Zeke Fane. Although, she has a bit of a soft spot for Rickie, and definitely has a thing for Murdoc.  
**Theme Song: **"Owner of a Lonely Heart," by Yes**  
Personality: **Emma Rose can be a bit of a blond, sometimes(no offense to blonds). She often loses her senses, including of time, whenever she's around a cute guy. She can be a bit impulsive sometimes, but is usually rather level-headed. She has a bit of a temper streak, but has learned how to keep it in check. She's a natural born leader who is very bold and takes very high risks.  
**Bio: **Will edit in as revealed in the story, to avoid spoiling secrets.  
**Other: **She's a bit of a kleptomaniac, but has rarely gotten caught for it. She has a bit of a hoarding for jewelry, mostly for October Tourmaline or July Ruby birthstone things, even though she's an August baby.

**

* * *

****Name: **Shiki Nakahara  
**Nickname: **Kira or Shina. Shina preferred, if either.**  
****Gender: **Female**  
****Age: **22**  
****Height: **5'7"**  
****Weight: **147 lbs**  
****Likes: **Strawberries, violence, Japan, kimonos, italian food, anime, manga, pocky, drinking blood, vampires, darkness, bugs, snakes, swords.  
**Dislikes: **being alone, girly girls, overly good people, fakes, annoying people, perky idiots, America, cold weather, dragons, religious people, light, cute things, Candice, Rose.  
**Dates: **both  
**Average skills and special abilities(if any): **Shiki is very quick and tough, almost impossible to top in most situations. She is a lip-reader and can tell when people are lying about something. Lastly, she's light on her feet and a good climber and swimmer. **  
****Weaknesses: **She has very little common sense, and not always the smartest person in the room. She's easily confused, and can thus be mislead or stopped in her tracks. Her hearing is also so weak, she's almost completely deaf.**  
****Occupation: **skinning and tracking.  
**Crush: **Teiresias Swanson.**  
****Theme Song: **"Kick in the Teeth," by Papa Roach  
"Pushing Me Away," by Linkin Park  
**Personality: **Shiki is your average tomboy that loves violence, anime, manga, and pocky. She's tough, often misunderstood, and a prankster. She's a bit of a quiet introvert, though protective and loyal to those persistant enough to get close to her. She's a very determined girl, though a realist, and thus in a bit of denial.  
**Bio: **Will edit in as revealed in the story, to avoid spoiling secrets.  
**Other: **Shiki cares a great deal for Celeste Nakahara, and also can strangely connect well with Murdoc because of her sister. Both despite and because of her work, Celeste must remain ignorant so she doesn't become targeted, and thus doesn't spend much time around her.

* * *

**Name: **Marcus Isaac Philips  
**Nickname: **Mark or Phil, but prefers his full first name to be referred by.**  
Gender: **Male **  
Age: **18**  
Height: **5'7"**  
Weight: **126 lbs**  
Likes: **dragons, animals, sewing, green, being helpful, being funny, making others laugh and smile, little kids, his "aunt," his mother, when an animal comes near him, being in cold weather, snow.**  
Dislikes: **his parents apparent hatred towards dragons, animals being abused, black, feeling useless, when he's told his jokes aren't funny, when he sees someone's upset or crying, punks, seeing others being bullied, being bullied himself, war, excessive heat, sunburns.**  
Dates: **Girls**  
Average skills and special abilities(if any): **He's a very unique and talented seamster, who is capable of extremely high-class sewing and embroidering even the most difficult things. He has few talents, besides this, but has a strange gift for making others laugh. His last gift is that he strangely good with most animals, often attracted to them.**  
Weaknesses: **He's unsure what happened, but he lost his left foot when he was very little, so he's incapable of doing most physical things that require running or putting excess pressure on the lower half of his body. Other than that, he isn't much of a cook or a socialist. Being very indecisive, he often becomes a follower, rather than a leader.**  
Occupation: **ReptiSkyn; Sews and Packs. **  
Crush: **Has a bit of a puppy dog crush on Daria, and likes Shiki.**  
Theme Song: **"Tell Me Lies," by Fleetwood Mac  
"What I've Done," by Linkin Park**  
Personality: **Marcus is a good kid, that just happens to get himself in bad situations. He likes feeling useful and doing as he's asked. He enjoys being able to comfort those around him, if they're upset or something. He's also a bit of a dreamer, often very cheerful, and enjoys laughing. He's a bit of a natural joker, meaning he says whatever small jokes come to mind, even if sometimes he doesn't realize he does so.**  
Bio: **Will edit in as revealed in the story, to avoid spoiling secrets.**  
Other: **He wears a bracelet that his biological father bought him where he was stationed, which his dragon on it. His mother wanted to throw it out when he was five, but his "aunt" managed to salvage it.**  
**


	3. Chapter 1: The Best way to Call a Bluff

**((A/N: Hey, guys! It's me, again, Dragea! Your fantasy FF writer is back for more with a MacGyver one this time around.**

**My disclaimers are that MacGyver, Pete, Phoenix Foundation, the show, and all that nonsense are by no means owned by me. Wish I did, though. Imagine the kind of RP I could start by having Richard Dean Anderson acting MacGyver out before my eyes.**

**On top of the plotline being mine, my characters are the ones mentioned beforehand. Enjoy!**

**P.S. Again, I remind you, expect fantasy! It's my forte.))**

Chapter 1: The Best way to Call a Bluff

"So, there's no other way around this, right Mac?" Daria asked, sighing as they entered a club. It wasn't much like her to be there, but her skills were needed for an assignment. Some guy drug-dealer seemed to pick off women there who ended up not being seen again, or rather found dead later. Daria didn't really want to think of how they'd end up being found, shuddering to the thought of the assignment. However, the man _had_ to be apprehended, somehow.

"Unfortunately, it might be the only way, but I wish God it wasn't." MacGyver uttered, concentrating on the counter. He would have to move soon, if she refused to stay and let herself be targeted. If only she would, but he knew she wouldn't. It was like she took every assignment personally, like things were up to her or something like that. He was a little bit protective over the girl, having been a very close friend of her father, and decided to try once more. "You know, you have every right to back off."

"Mac, I'll be fine. You really don't have to worry." She murmured, reassuringly, as he looked around. Probably looking where he could go, while being out of range of musical interference of his communicator watch that had been created by a Phoenix Foundation Scientist by the name of Teiresias Swanson. She smirked at the name, amused by the irony of her coming up with his cover name when she was more of a blind prophet than he was.

She shook the thought off, taking note of the fact that a board behind her was long and loose. Maybe she could use that to her advantage? Yes, she probably could, if she did things right. Taking a deep breath, she had a feeling the man would be there shortly, and smiled sadly at feeling an overwhelming wave of concern and fear of something going wrong from MacGyver. He always felt that way, but he would need to let her deal with this. "I promise that everything will work out, but you'd better get out of here, now. Alright?"

Macgyver had hoped she'd turn the assignment down, but made it clear that she would stay to stop the drug-dealer. He didn't mind her persistence, really, but she almost always seemed to disregard her own well being to get something done. He sighed, getting up and moving away to keep things from going worse. He realized that he'd have to just trust her on this one, knowing she could handle herself, but he hated having to.

"We still have one more chance to back out of this. Are you sure you want to let yourself be a target?" He asked secretly through his watch, now praying she'd come to her senses, but to no avail.

"MacGyver... Everything will be fine. I'm _not_ going anywhere." She muttered in exasperation, emphasizing her choice. Just then, a tall and lanky-looking fellow passed through the entrance double doors, fitting the suspect's description. Though, she only partially thought he fit it, since she couldn't really see what he looked like. Regardless, she could tell, through other methods that the man was guilty. Fear flooded through her, making her tremble a bit, though managed to conceal her fear well. Inconspicuously, she pressed the buttons, talking into her own watch. "Besides, he's here now. No more time to hesitate."

With that, she felt the man take a step further. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves as she repositioned herself on her seat, slightly. Turning to a man behind a counter, she wondered what they had that wasn't alcoholic. There must've been something, since it was a generally public place.

"Hey, do you have Coca-cola?" Daria asked, curiously.

"We have Pepsi products..." The man behind the counter corrected, grumbling. He was probably around his forties, but that was just a complete guess, assuming he started there when he about 25 and grew to hate the place. Also, from the sounds of his wiping his forehead with a towel, it seemed he had a bit of a bald spot on the top of his head.

"Okay... Send some Pepsi my way, then?" She asked, though in a not demanding way. She was very alert to concentrating on the drug-dealer's steps behind her, which was no easy task. The music was very loud and starting to get to her.

"If you have money, it'll be 90 cents for a glass." He stated, in a bit of a harsh tone, though Daria maintained her smile. She pulled out a dollar, attempting to hand it to the man, before someone stopped her by pushing her hand gently down. She felt her stomach give a nervous flip, since the man that stopped her was the guy that they needed to apprehend. This meant that their plan was in motion, and also that he life would be in danger.

"Allow me? I've always wanted to buy a beautiful woman a drink." He lied, the intention behind his suave tone causing a chill to run down her back. He took out the money for her own drink, as well as enough for a drink of his own. He also took a seat next to her, smiling. "So, do you have a name, or should I just call you Angel?"

"My name's Daria." She forced herself to say and smile, though now really wished she had said no when Pete reluctantly informed her of all this. "And you are?" She asked, though knew he wouldn't really give his own name.

"I'm just a guy you can trust." He said, still feigning a smile as he looked to make sure no was looking that would get him in trouble, though obviously missed MacGyver sending a nervous glance their way. She could tell he was contemplating coming over and trying to scare the man into leaving or something, but she managed to quick glance his way to glare at him for a second. "If you'd like, I can give you something for that drink. It'll give you a deliriously wonderful feeling."

"Uh, no thanks. I'm not one for that sort of thing. And, I don't need anything to make me feel good about myself." She uttered, in a mirrored soft tone. She perked a bit, at last second, hearing something that made her heart sink. His smile vanished as he put his hand in his pocket and gripped something that was shaped suspiciously like a handgun. Her eyes clamped shut, mentally cursing her luck, as her heart skipped a beat.

"I suggest you reconsider coming with me anyway, unless you'd like me to shoot you right here." He said, in a nonchalant way, though was a little afraid. It was definitely a bluff, since there was almost no way he'd really use it, but he seemed like he really might, if she didn't. She bit her lip, choosing to call the bluff, since any normal person would have at first.

"Uh, huh. Like you really have a gun, and are willing to resort to shooting me, if I don't give in. Prove it. Be willing to pull it out in front of everyone, and I'll go along quietly." She goaded, rolling eyes to maintain her guise, letting him contemplate that. He obviously figured she'd go along quietly, since if he really had a gun on him, she'd be scared enough out of her wits where she would. So he got up, going behind her and pulled it out and aimed it at her back. She could hear people starting to panic, including the man that was behind the counter serving drinks. She could almost guarantee several things were going through MacGyver's mind without even thinking. He was obviously trying to devise something to get the gun away from the drug-dealer, without it going off, but was luckily for her caught in the middle of the panicking crowd.

"I meant what I said. Now, I'm telling you get up, or I swear to pull the trigger." He called, almost yelling, very determined to get her to go with him. Daria could see several unclean, vulgar, obscene scenes run through his mind; which petrified, disturbed and disgusted her. She gulped softly, biting her lip to keep it from trembling.

"Okay, alright. I'm going." She uttered, softly from fear of both her life being threatened and from the scenes in the man's head made her heart sink, almost causing her body to tremble. However, she knew what she had to do to stop the madness, and she took a deep breath. She spun her spin-able chair around, as if to get up; before stomping down on the loose board. Luckily, he was enough away where he shot, but the gun was knocked out of his hands and misguided the bullet so it didn't harm her. It actually shot the wall, about an inch above her head. Her heart pounded, as she watched a redheaded man around her age catch the gun in midair, immediately aiming it the drug-dealer.

"Are you alright, Daria?" The redhead known to her and MacGyver as Rickie Cameron asked, concerned, glancing to her out of the corner of his eyes. Daria nodded, just before MacGyver rushed over to embrace her, half expecting her to break into tears. She was a tough girl, but he knew that there were things she couldn't handle, and held a fear of things of a perverse nature. However, she managed to keep from weeping, even though her eyes watered and blurred her vision.

As he asked the question, the police finally entered the scene, as usual bursting down the double doors. To avoid letting it get further of control, they were forced to arrest both Rickie and the other man, though Rickie was eventually let go. It took Daria quite a little while to get calm, but they had been on their way back by then, and the music from the stereo helped to calm her. As they left, it occurred to her, they'd been watched.


	4. Chapter 2: Tests of Skill

Chapter 2: Tests of Skill

Zeke stood at his desk, with his eyes clenched tight and his hands clasped together, pressed to his mouth. Rose had found another who possessed potential talent for tracking and right now, they needed whomever they could get. This time, it was a man. His face was a bit on the disfigured side, but this didn't matter all that much to Zeke, since he hated nearly everyone. 'Course he wasn't always that way, but who really ever starts off hating the world? Something has to happen to catalyze the hatred of mankind. That's exactly what happened for Zeke, but he wasn't about to take any trips down Memory Lane right that moment.

Zeke wasn't sure he liked the man's proposition. He wasn't one to keep the things alive afterwards, since you never when letting one go would bite you in the butt. That was the main issue, negative-wise. The positives were that the man was good at his job, extremely good. Possibly only one flaw in his history, to Zeke's knowledge. It may just be worth letting one go, if meant having the man on their side.

"I see. I suppose I can come to the agreement." Zeke admitted, nodding, though only moved slightly by opening his eyes and look up at the hitman. "But, I think you may be forgetting something. Regardless of the animal, the creatures are still sentient species. Even if you find one that is desirable for a 'guard dog' or sorts, what guarantee do you have that it would even consent to the idea?"

"I understand. But, if there are as many of these things as you say there are, then I should be find one that can be convinced." The man, whose skills were required, responsed. He was confident in his powers of persuasion and his skills in his profession. "If you want to employ me, you'll just have to accept the agreement. Unless, of course, you think you can find someone better than me that will actually believe this nonsense."

"Very well." Zeke agreed, finally. He stood up from his chair, having unfolded his hands, then held one out to shake his. It was to show that he would keep his word, and would. "If it's alright with with you, though, our other tracker is hunting down one as we speak. Her name is Shiki Nakahara. She's a pretty decent tracker, but I'd like to see exactly what you can do."

The man stood completely straight, holding a gun in a sort of admiring manner. This, though a little unnerving, didn't really scare Zeke that much. Rose watched with interest as he put something on the wall. It was a picture of sorts. He shot two bullets, hitting two people in the picture on both sides of a third person. Were it a real situation, those two would have been dead, and the third left defenseless. It wasn't like it was a huge picture, either. Smugly, he responded with, "I have a feeling it won't disappoint you."

Zeke raised his eyebrow as his only reaction, though Rose was thoroughly impressed. While she looked him over a bit, Zeke nodded once, having a hard time ignoring Rose. "Okay, I'll admit you're definitely good. But, I still want to see what you can do."

Around that time, Shiki had already made her re-entrance. She had waited until the display of gunmanship was finished, before speaking. "Mr. Fane! I've done like you asked and found two, possibly three, that are likely to be... Well, you know what I mean! I doubt the third is, though. Anyway, I could only catch one name, Daria. Her and the older one of the men are staying at a houseboat located at Slip 22, Kigway 1. The younger man got dropped off at a house nearby located on Thames Street."

At the mentioning of the houseboat's address, the man gave a surprised glance at Shiki. Zeke once more raised his eyebrow to his reaction, then questioned if he knew one of the them. The man had a bit of an unusual gaze, almost respectful yet murderous all at the same time, as he finally answered Zeke. "The man's name is MacGyver. He's a genius of ingenuity, who doesn't believe in anything that can't be explained. I highly doubt that he is what you're looking for. Whether or not he gets involved, I swear to personally take care of him this time."

Zeke was a little surprised at his sudden dedication, but he would take it. He was glad now that he was on their side. He would officially welcome him later, though. Shiki was very surprised at this guy's knowledge, but didn't ask. Or, at least, she wouldn't ask yet. "So, should I go take one in for skinning, now?" Shiki inquired. She was just about to leave, but had to wait for her boss' okay. She was a little confused, though, since he shook his head.

"No, no. Take a break for once. I think we have a new recruit would like to prove his worth... Or, am I wrong?" Zeke smirked, sitting back down.

"Personally, I'm only interested in proving whether or not these dragons of yours exist." The man said, simply, with a bit of a shrug off. "But if you're insisting, the sooner it's proven, the sooner I can reach a few personal goals."

"I'm glad to hear that you're so willing to head out, though I can assure you that they exist. I'd be happier if they didn't, but they do." He explained, though shook the thoughts off. "Anyway, I'd like to thank you for your help, your professionalism, and your apparent knowledge and determination. I don't expect any of the dragons will accept your terms, but for their sake and hers, I really hope they do, Mr. Murdoc."

**((A/N: Okay, Sorry, I just honestly chose a random street in Los Angeles. So, yeah...**

**And, I'm sorry about the current lack of activity, but I plan to be up to about Chapter 5 by the time I get home. I'm at camp at the moment, and have quite a bit of time on my hands. I'm setting this a little after Halloween Knights, and I know his face is fine after it, but I wasn't thinking about that when I wrote it. Sorry.))**


	5. Author's Notes: Apology

((A/N: Okay so, sorry everyone for not updating in God knows how long! I just want to know how many people are even interested in this Fanfic before I attempt to put up another chapter. Please review! If I get at least one review, I shall have a new chapter up by the day after, if not within a few hours. If I don't get one within a week, I will give up on this story and proceed with another.))


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